WO 2012/034141 provided a carbonaceous feed pyrolysis apparatus including two or more hot particle fluidised beds, and one or more positive displacement apparatus for the transfer of hot particles between two or more of the beds. One or more of the fluidised beds may contain a combustion zone. One or more of the fluidised beds may contain a pyrolysis zone. The positive displacement apparatus may be a screw feeder or the like. The apparatus of WO 2012/031414 may include one or more “L” valves between the combustion and pyrolysis zones so that hot particles may flow from the combustion zone or zones to the pyrolysis zone or zones while impeding the flow of gas in the opposite direction.
The inventor has now, after extensive research, identified that the apparatus of WO 2012/034141 has practical limitations and that the heat loss makes it impractical to operate without additional fuel and a need was thus identified for a new and efficient apparatus to carry out these and other endothermic processes.
The inventor thus now proposes the invention described hereinbelow.